Saints' Discussion Forums

Today’s Gospel Reading:
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
   “Come and see,” said Philip.
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
   Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”  He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”
John 1:43-51.
Why did Nathaniel ask that question?
Was there something negative about Nazareth?
Why was he seemingly “prejudiced”?

I'm not certain how its explained. I enjoyed looking to try to find out however. Thank you!

'Called Nazareth, meaning ‘flower’, ‘anointing’ or ‘consecration’; for there was found the flower of virginity, the anointing of the sevenfold grace, the consecration of the glorious Virgin.'

St. Anthony of Padua

''Nazareth, that humble place, means ‘a flower’; and it represents humility, which may be well compared to a flower, which has these three characteristics: beauty of colour, sweetness of scent, and hope of fruit.'

St. Anthony of Padua

'In Canticles 2 the Bridegroom says: I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys. [Cant 2.1]. Blessed Mary chose this flower, leaving all others, clinging to it and receiving whatever she needed from it. Nazareth, where she conceived, means ‘flower’, and she chose this place above all others. The ‘flower which sprang from the root of Jesse’ [cf. Is 11.1] loves a flowery homeland.'

St. Anthony of Padua

'Nazareth means <I>flower</I>. Oh ! how well this city represents to us religious life. For what is religion, if not a house, or city, thickly strewn with flowers, since all the things that we do (when we live according to its rules and statutes) are so many flowers. Our mortifications, humiliations, prayers in a word, all the exercises we practise what are they but acts of virtue, which are like so many beautiful flowers, that send up a perfume extremely sweet before the Divine Majesty? Therefore, we may well say that religion is a garden all sown with flowers, very pleasing to the sight, and very salutary to those who wish to inhale their fragrance.'

St. Francis de Sales

'Galilee means 'removal' Nazareth, 'the flower of virtues' for the Church the more zealously she removes from the earthly to the heavenly, the more she abounds in the flower and fruit of virtues.'

St. Hilary

The spiritual meaning Nazareth as 'flower' and a life of humility, makes me think Nathaniel's question with the idea of finding one of those deeper spiritual meanings.

I am still not quite there Shin, but thanks for answering :)

Could Nathaniel  have said that since Bethlehem and not Nazareth was expected to be the birth place of the Messiah? :-\

Argh!!!  I shouldn’t have read your post at 10:30 pm!  I know I read something about this…and I just can’t remember when and where.  I tried my bibles and kept reading commentaries and references in the commentaries and references in the references…. But I keep looking at the time and it’s almost midnight!  I need to sleep! :)  So I searched a bit at the net. What I found reminded me what I read before…that Nazareth had a bad reputation somehow which is why Nathanael said those words.  It was not Jesus he was being prejudiced against but Nazareth. Jesus will be called “Jesus of Nazareth” as had been prophesized.  But then again, people did not know that he was actually born in Bethlehem, the City of David which is also in fulfillment of a prophesy :)

And now I have to sleep  ;D  Zzzz

I have also been searching for an answer to the question and I think I have found it. At least I am satisfied with what I feel answers my query. It also explains John 7: 52. “They replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee."
The book in which I found the answer  is “Basic Bible Study” by Christine L. Mhagama. Paulines Publications Africa.
In this book, there is a chapter which is dealing with “Places in the Bible”
This is what the author says regarding Nazareth:
“…. The location of Nazareth in the North and Jesus’ origin from there, were in themselves a problem. Being far away from Jerusalem, the religious centre of the Jews, and exposed to contacts with the Greeks, Nazareth was considered less orthodox in religious matters. This evaluation of Galilee and its town was expressed in the taunt of the Judeans against Jesus…..”

I'm glad you found what you were looking for!  :D Interesting!

                     Nathaniel testified that Jesus is the Son of God and the King of Israel.

Maybe Nazareth was considered teh bad part of town in those days.